Racing: Berry gets back on winning trail

Alan Berry ended a long losing run when the 16-1 chance Robwillcall took the classified stakes at Musselburgh yesterday. It was a welcome change of fortune for the Cockerham trainer who had been referred to Jockey Club headquarters the previous day when his Hillside Girl was pulled up at Carlisle after drifting dramatically in the betting.

Berry yesterday rejected claims of anything sinister having taken place, and said: "It is not very pleasant being public enemy No 1. My wife has had three abusive phone calls already today. We've been out of form so it's nice to have a winner. It's just a pity that Robwillcall's owner is not here."

John Balding's made the 470-mile round trip from Nottinghamshire pay off when First Eclipse survived an objection in the maiden fillies' stakes.

First Eclipse was headed by the odds-on Lady Sunset but was rallied in good style by Balding's son-in-law, Jason Edmunds, to get up on the line. However, the runner-up's rider, Fergal Lynch, claimed that First Eclipse had "bumped and unbalanced his horse". The stewards were unimpressed by Lynch's opinion and, having decided that no interference had taken place, concluded that there were no reasonable grounds for the objection so they fined Lynch £75.